Apparatus and methods for powering downhole electrical devices

ABSTRACT

A drilling system comprises a tubular member disposed in a wellbore having a downhole assembly disposed therein. At least one electrical device is disposed in the downhole assembly. A fuel cell is disposed in the downhole assembly and operatively coupled to the electrical device for providing electrical power thereto. The fuel cell extracts at least a portion of its fuel supply from the flowing drilling fluid downhole. In another aspect, a pipeline system comprises a pipeline having a fluid flowing therein. An electrically powered device is disposed in the pipeline. A fuel cell is operatively coupled to the electrically powered device for providing electrical power thereto. The fuel cell extracts at least a portion of a fuel supply from a fluid flowing in the pipeline.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to powering downhole electrical devices, and moreparticularly, to fuel cells that are adapted for downhole use in wells.

2. Description of the Related Art

More and larger electrical devices are being proposed for downholeapplications. These include, for example, the use of electric motors fordriving the drill bit and for driving downhole pumps for forward orreverse circulation of the drilling fluid. In large hole applications,such devices could be on the order of several hundred horsepower, withmultiple devices used in the same downhole application. It is difficult,however, to transmit large amounts of power downhole for drillingpurposes. In the static conditions associated with productionenvironments, cables may be strapped to a production tubular, but eventhese hamper the initial deployment of the production string and moreseverely impact efficient workover operations. At high power levels, thesize constraints placed on the cable size in the downhole environmentleads to unacceptable power losses in the cable.

Other systems, such as wired drill pipe, suffer the same cable sizeconstraints and are like wise unsuitable for transmitting large amountsof power downhole. In addition, such systems require complex surfaceconnections, such as slip rings, with voltage levels that will causeconsiderable safety concerns. For wired drill pipe, literally hundredsof connections requiring multiple make/break cycles during the drillingof a well raises serious reliability concerns.

Batteries can be used as a local source of power for downhole electricaldevices, but are subject to their own problems. For example, increasingthe power and energy generation capacity of a battery generally requiresa proportionate increase in the size of the battery, which can presentdifficulties given the space constraints that exist in wellbores. Also,batteries will typically need to be electrically recharged or replacedat some point.

Fuel cells make use of an electrochemical reaction involving a fuel andan oxidant in a cell that comprises an anode, cathode, and electrolyte,to generate electricity without also generating the unwanted by-productsassociated with combustion, while providing relatively higher energyefficiency. Thus, fuel cells potentially have a number of advantagesover other power generation or storage means in many applications. Anumber of obstacles have hindered the use of fuel cells in high powerand/or long term downhole applications. For instance, fuel cellstypically provide reservoirs for the necessary fuel and oxidant, whichwithout replenishment, limit the overall run time. Additionally, thereaction product, typically water, needs to be removed from the fuelcell stack in order to continuously run the fuel cell. Removal of thewater downhole presents a challenge because the surrounding pressure iscommonly higher than that present in a conventional fuel cell placed atsurface in an ambient environment and operating in air. Using a pump toexpel the water into the high pressure downhole environment may requirea large amount of power.

VanBerg U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,194 describes a power supply for providingelectricity to electrical circuits located downhole in a well. The powersupply comprises a fuel cell, which is fed by hydrogen from a pressurecontainer and oxygen from compressed oxygen gas bottles. Pressureregulators are located in the line between the hydrogen container andthe fuel cell, and in the line between the oxygen bottles and the fuelcell. A pump is used to eject water from the fuel cell into thewellbore. The downhole deployment time is limited by the fuel and oxygensupply volumes.

There is a need for a downhole fuel cell that can provide substantialamounts of power over long durations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a drilling system comprises atubular member disposed in a wellbore having a downhole assemblydisposed at a bottom end thereof. At least one electrical device isdisposed in the downhole assembly. A fuel cell is disposed in thedownhole assembly and operatively coupled to the electrical device forproviding electrical power thereto. The fuel cell extracts at least aportion of its fuel supply from the flowing drilling fluid downhole.

In another aspect, a pipeline system comprises a pipeline having a fluidflowing therein. An electrically powered device is disposed in thepipeline. A fuel cell is operatively coupled to the electrically powereddevice for providing electrical power thereto. The fuel cell extracts atleast a portion of a fuel supply from a fluid flowing in the pipeline.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For detailed understanding of the present invention, references shouldbe made to the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich like elements have been given like numerals, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a drilling system according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of assembly having a fuel cell disposedtherein according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a portion of a fuel cell system according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the interrelationship of the downholecomponents according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of a fuel cell powered reverse circulationdownhole assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a fuel cell powered downhole assemblyhaving fuel and oxidizer supplied through capillary lines according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing of a fuel cell powered downhole assemblyhaving fuel and oxidizer supplied through capillary lines according toone embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing of a fuel cell powered pipeline valveaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a land-based drilling system utilizing adownhole assembly 100 made according to the present invention to drillwellbores. The concepts and methods for use described herein are equallyapplicable to offshore drilling systems or systems utilizing differenttypes of rigs. The system 300 shown in FIG. 1 has a downhole assembly100 conveyed in a borehole 326. The drilling system 300 includes aderrick 311 erected on a floor 312 that supports a rotary table 314which is rotated by a prime mover such as an electric motor 315 at adesired rotational speed. The drill string 320 includes the drill pipe152 extending downward from the rotary table 314 into the borehole 326with downhole assembly 100 attached to the bottom of the drill pipe 152.Drill bit 250 is attached to the bottom of downhole assembly 100 anddisintegrates the geological formations when it is rotated to drill theborehole 326. The drill string 320 is coupled to a drawworks 330 via akelly joint 321, swivel 328 and line 329 through a pulley (not shown).During the drilling operation the drawworks 330 is operated to controlthe weight on bit, which is an important parameter that affects the rateof penetration. The operation of the drawworks 330 is well known in theart and is thus not described in detail herein. It will be appreciatedby one skilled in the art, that downhole assembly 100 may bealternatively conveyed into borehole 326 by a coiled tubing system(notshown). Coiled tubing systems are known in the art and are not describedhere.

During drilling operations, in one embodiment, a suitable drilling fluid155 from a mud pit (source) 332 is circulated under pressure through thedrill string 320 by a mud pump 334. In common operation, the drillingfluid 155 passes from the mud pump 334 into the drill string 320 via adesurger 336, fluid line 338 and the kelly joint 321. The drilling fluid155 is discharged at the borehole bottom 351 through an opening in thedrill bit 150. The drilling fluid 155 circulates uphole through theannular space 327 between the drill string 320 and the borehole 326 andreturns to the mud pit 332 via a return line 335. A sensor S₁ preferablyplaced in the line 338 provides information about the fluid flow rate. Asurface torque sensor S₂ and a sensor S₃ associated with the drillstring 320 respectively provide information about the torque and therotational speed of the drill string. Additionally, a sensor S₄associated with line 329 is used to provide the hook load of the drillstring 320.

Downhole assembly 100 includes large diameter tubular sections 10,commonly referred to as drill collars, used in conjunction withdrawworks 330 to control the weight on bit 250. In the present system,the drill bit 250 may be rotated by only rotating motor 140 or therotation of the drill pipe 152 may be superimposed on the motorrotation. The rate of penetration (ROP) of the drill bit 250 into theborehole 326 for a given formation and a downhole assembly largelydepends upon the weight on bit and the drill bit rpm. Downhole assembly100 may also contain a measurement while drilling (MWD), also calledlogging while drilling, system 12 that contains multiple sensors (notshown) for determining downhole parameters of interest. Such sensorsmeasure parameters related to borehole direction, formation properties,drilling dynamic properties and drilling fluid properties. Downholeassembly 100 includes a power/drive assembly 40 that comprises a powersource 42 providing power to drive motor 140 that is connected to androtates bit 250.

A surface controller 340 receives signals from the MWD system 12 relatedto the downhole parameters via a sensor 343 placed in the fluid line 338and signals from sensors S₁, S₂, S₃, hook load sensor S₄ and any othersensors used in the system and processes such signals according toprogrammed instructions provided to the surface controller 340. Thesurface controller 340 displays desired drilling parameters and otherinformation on a display/monitor 342 and is utilized by an operator tocontrol the drilling operations. The surface controller 340 contains acomputer, memory for storing data, recorder for recording data and otherperipherals. The surface controller 340 processes data according toprogrammed instructions and responds to user commands entered through asuitable device, such as a keyboard or a touch screen. The controller340 is preferably adapted to activate alarms 344 when certain unsafe orundesirable operating conditions occur.

FIG. 2 shows power/drive assembly 40 according to one embodiment of theto present invention, having a fuel cell 47 supplying power to anelectric motor drive 22 for rotating bit 250. Fuel cell 47 extracts thefuel, a hydrocarbon from which hydrogen is stripped out, from thedrilling fluid 155 as the drilling fluid 155 flows past the fuelextraction module 31. Drilling fluid 155 may be an oil base drillingfluid that commonly consists of a diesel fuel base to which othercomponents of the drilling fluid, such as weighting material, are added.Fuel extraction module 31 can be located at any suitable position inpower/drive assembly 40 and can comprise a semi-permeable membranethrough which a hydrocarbon liquid, such as the diesel fuel, may pass. Aportion of the diesel fluid passes through the semi-permeable membraneas the fluid flows by the fuel extraction module 31. Alternatively, aportion of the drilling fluid may be diverted through the fuelextraction module for bringing the hydrocarbon fluid in contact with thesemi-permeable membrane. Alternatively, fuel extraction module 31 may beadapted to extract fuel from the return fluid as it returns to thesurface through the annulus 327. The return fluid may contain the dieselbased drilling fluid 155 as well as hydrocarbon fluids produced from theformation surrounding borehole 326.

For water base drilling fluid, a hydrocarbon fluid may be added to thewater base to form an immiscible mixture with the water being thecontinuous fluid phase. The semi-permeable membrane in fuel extractionmodule 31 passes the hydrocarbon in the drilling fluid and uses theextracted hydrocarbon as fuel for the rest of the process describedbelow. Alternatively, hydrocarbons produced from the drilled formationsmay form an immiscible mixture with the water being the continuousphase. As described above, the semi-permeable membrane in fuelextraction module 31 passes the hydrocarbon in the drilling fluid anduses the extracted hydrocarbon as fuel for the rest of the processdescribed below. Alternatively, in a producing wellbore, the producedfluid has a substantially high portion of hydrocarbon fluid, of which aportion may be stripped out in extraction module 31.

The hydrogen is stripped from the from the hydrocarbon fluid in thereformer module 32. Reformers for removing hydrogen from hydrocarbonsfor use in fuel cells are known in the art and are not discussed indetail here. Hydrogen from the reformer module 32 is fed to a reactionmodule 34 by internal flow conduits (not shown).

Likewise, oxygen from an oxidizer supply module 33 is fed to reactionmodule 34. In one embodiment, oxidizer supply module has storage tanks,not shown, that have sufficient oxygen storage capacity for the fuelcell process. Alternatively, oxygen is inserted into the drilling fluidflow for extraction downhole in the oxidizer supply module. In oneembodiment, oxygen may be contained in microspheres having suitablepressure integrity to withstand the downhole pressure. A portion of thedrilling fluid may be diverted through the oxidizer supply module 33 andthe microspheres separated out by a suitable screen. The microspheresmay be crushed to release the oxygen. The oxygen may be allowed to flowacross a semi-permeable membrane for use in the fuel cell process. Inone embodiment, both hydrogen and oxygen are supplied in separatemicrospheres that are separately captured downhole, for example bydiffering sizes in the reformer module 32 and in the oxidizer module 33.The released hydrogen and released oxygen are fed to the reaction module34 for producing electricity.

In one embodiment, reaction module 34 contains a proton exchangemembrane (PEM) reaction cell 50, see FIG. 3. At the anode 53 thehydrogen molecules give up electrons and form hydrogen ions, a processwhich is made possible by a platinum catalyst 52. The electrons travelto the cathode 54 through an external circuit 55, producing electricalcurrent. This current can perform useful work by powering any electricaldevice (such as an electric motor). The proton exchange membrane 51allows protons to flow through, but stops electrons from passing throughit. As a result, while the electrons flow through an external circuit,the hydrogen ions flow directly through the proton exchange membrane tothe cathode, where they combine with oxygen molecules and the electronsto form water 56. The proton exchange membrane 51 may be a thin polymersheet that allows hydrogen ions to pass through it. The membrane iscoated on both sides with highly dispersed metal alloy particles(typically platinum) that are active catalysts. The electrolyte 59 usedmay be a solid organic polymer such as poly-perflourosulfonic acid. Sucha fuel cell develops an electromotive potential on the order of 0.7volt. Therefore, multiple cells are commonly stacked in the reactionmodule 34 and connected in series to provide sufficient voltage tooperate the desired downhole equipment. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, thecells are arranged in an annular fashion that can include multiplestacked cells. Valves (not shown) may be operated by controller module36 to control the flow of fuel and oxidizer to control the powergeneration.

In the PEM reaction cell 50 described above, water 56 is generated as abyproduct of the chemical reaction and is passed to byproduct module 35.Byproduct module 35 may contain a storage container for storing thebyproduct. Alternatively, byproduct module 35 may contain a pump 58 forpumping the byproduct water into the drilling fluid 155.

Power from PEM reaction cell 50 is controlled by a controller module 36,see FIGS. 2 and 4, that contains electronic circuits and a processor,with memory, to interface the output from the fuel cells to theappropriate downhole electrical device. Controller module 36 may alsocontain an inverter to convert direct current (DC) to alternatingcurrent (AC) as required. For example, motor drive 22 may include a DCor, alternatively, an AC motor for rotating bit 250. The type of motorwill typically be determined by the selection of the motor size and theassociated control circuits for the motor. Criteria are known in the artfor selecting the appropriate type of motor and control circuits withoutundue experimentation. Motor drive 22 may include a drive motor 22 a anda gear box 22 b for providing appropriate rotational speed and toque tobit 250. Alternatively, controller 36 may continuously control the speedand torque of motor 22 a such that a gear box 22 b is not required.Sensors 65 measure operating parameters of motor drive 22 and providethese measurements to circuits 60 in controller module 36 that provideoverload control and/or operating status of motor drive 22.

Controller module 36 may also include electrical storage capacity suchas batteries and/or capacitors to provide surge load capacity. Circuits60 a and processor 60 b may also receive sensor signals from sensors 67associated with MWD system 12 for providing information regardingparameters associated with the formation, the wellbore direction, andthe drilling dynamics of the downhole assembly 100. These data may beused by programs in processor 60 b to control the operation of motordrive 22.

In another embodiment, see FIG. 5, a reverse circulation system includesdownhole assembly 410 that has drilling fluid 155 flowing from thesurface down the annular space 411 between downhole assembly 410 andborehole 326. At least a portion of the flow of drilling fluid 155 isdiverted through flow diverter 401 into the bore (not shown) of downholeassembly 410. Fuel cell 47 powers electric submersible pump (ESP) 400that takes suction from the diverted flow and provides flow energy topump the drilling fluid 155 back up the bore of the downhole assembly410 and drill pipe (not shown) to the surface equipment as described inrelation to FIG. 2. An advantage of such a reverse circulation system isthat very little flow energy is required to pump the drilling fluid downthe annulus. The major portion of the flow energy is provided at ESP 400for overcoming frictional losses in the return flow path to the surfaceinside the downhole assembly 410 and the drill pipe. The bottom of theborehole is not exposed to the high pressures normally experienced dueto the drilling fluid flow in conventional forward flowing systems. Oneof the major functions of the drilling fluid 155 flow is to removecuttings from the bit area as the bit 250 disintegrates the formation.Normal fluid velocities of 150-200 feet per minute are used to supportthe cuttings in the drilling fluid 155. The flow rate required tomaintain these fluid velocities in common forward flow systems isdetermined by the annular space in the region extending along the drillpipe. High flow rates are required to provide the desired velocities inthis region. However, this flow must also pass through the smallerannular space between the downhole assembly and the borehole. Thepressure drop in this smaller annular region is a major portion of thepressure required at the bit in a forward flow system and can besubstantial enough so as to cause fracturing of the formation. Thereverse circulation system allows the high pressure needed to lift thecutting to be confined inside the downhole assembly and drill pipethereby allowing better control of the bottom hole drilling fluidpressure. In addition, because the drilling fluid, in the reversecirculation system, is traveling up a much smaller diameter, thedrilling fluid flow rate needed to lift the cuttings is substantiallysmaller than in the forward circulation system. Fuel cell 47 alsoprovides power to drive module 22 for rotating bit 250. For additionaldetails regarding reverse circulation systems, see U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/428,423 filed on Nov. 22, 2002, and incorporatedherein by reference.

In another embodiment, see FIG. 6, fuel supply line 403 and oxidizersupply line 405 run from the surface along the drill pipe (not shown)and downhole assembly 410 and connect to fuel cell 447 through bulkheads402 and 404, respectively. Alternatively, coiled tubing may be used toconvey the downhole assembly into wellbore 326. In that case, fuelsupply line 403 and oxidizer supply line 405 may be run along theoutside of the coiled tubing or may be run along the inside of thecoiled tubing. While shown in FIG. 6 as individual lines, lines 403 and405 may be contained in a single umbilical bundle of a type known in theart. Alternatively, lines 403 and 405 may be run inside the drill pipe(not shown) and downhole assembly 410 using techniques known in the art.

In one embodiment, see FIG. 7, fuel and oxidizer supply lines are runinside of the drill string 711 and are coupled to the downhole assembly709 through a wet connector 706 a in connector sub 712 a. The fuel andoxidizer are routed to a fuel cell (not shown) in the downhole assembly709. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a top drive 702, of a kind knownin the art, is supported in derrick 701 and adapted to pass umbilical703 into the flow passage of drill string 711 and stab into a wetconnector such as connectors 706 a-c. Top drive 702 is used to rotatedrill string 711. Drill bit 710 may be rotated by top drive 702 and/orby a drilling motor (not shown) in the downhole assembly 709. Stabbedwet connectors for electrical and/or fluid connections are known in theart and are not described here. Umbilical 703 is fed into the drillstring 711 from reel 704 that is connected to a fuel and oxidizer supplysystem 705.

In drilling operation the umbilical must be retracted and reinserted ateach drill joint connection. To reduce the extraction and insertiontime, umbilical 703 is limited to a predetermined length on the order of1000-3000 feet. When the drill string exceeds the predetermined length,umbilical 707 a is installed from connector sub 706 a to connector sub706 b inserted in drill string 711. Umbilical 703 is then run toconnector 706 b until the drill string length between connector sub 706b and the surface exceeds the predetermined length. Umbilical 707 b isinstalled between connector sub 706 b and connector sub 706 c.Additional lengths of umbilical 707 may be added, as required, to reachthe desired drill string length. Alternatively, a coiled tubing may beused for drill string 711 and a continuous umbilical may be placedinside the coiled tubing using techniques known in the art.

In FIG. 8, a pipeline 800 has a valve assembly 815 inserted in thepipeline to control fluid flow 809, commonly a hydrocarbon fluid. Valveassembly 815 comprises a valve 801 and an actuator 802. Common actuatorsmay be electrically, hydraulically, or pneumatically powered. Hydraulicand pneumatic systems commonly use flow line pressure to hold the valvesin position, typically open. If line pressure is lost, the valve closesand blocks flow. Valve leaks compromise the proper action of suchvalves. In addition, pressure controlled valves require a buildup ofpressure to operate properly. During flow startup, this causes addedcomplexity to be designed into the valve systems to handle the startuptransients. Electrically powered actuators commonly provide bettercontrol and are more easily adapted to remote control. Pipelines,however, may run tens or hundreds of kilometers. As such, it islogistically difficult and expensive to run and maintain power lines tooperate such valves. Solar arrays have been used but have difficultyproviding adequate power in areas of reduced solar input, such as, forexample, (i) at high latitudes; (ii) in forested or jungle areas;and/or. (iii) in other substantially shade locations. The poweravailable from such arrays is highly dependent on having a substantiallyclear sky, even with battery storage capacity. The high power demandsrequired to actuate large valves make such solar systems unreliable.

In one embodiment of the present invention in FIG. 8, a fuel cell 803and reformer (not shown), similar in concept to those describedpreviously, are connected to actuator 802 to provide power to operatevalve 801. Fuel cell 803 is connected by line 807 to pipeline 800. Aportion 810 of hydrocarbon flow 809 is passed through line 807 throughthe reformer and used as fuel by fuel cell 803. Fuel cell 803 may haveinternal storage of an oxidizer used to combine with the fuel from flow809 to generate electricity for powering actuator 802. Alternatively,the oxidizer may be drawn from the local atmospheric air. In anotheralternative, the oxidizer may be contained in external tanks (not shown)connected to fuel cell 803. The byproducts 811 of the fuel cell reaction(predominately water) are fed back into the flow line through line 808.A pump (not shown) may be used to pump the byproducts 811 into line 800.Alternatively, the byproducts 811 (if water) may be allowed to drain tothe local ground area.

Controller 804 is connected, at least electrically, to fuel cell 803 andcontrols, according to programmed instructions, the operation of fuelcell 803. Controller 804 has circuits to convert and control theelectric power generated by fuel cell 803. External batteries 812 may beused to provide backup storage and/or high drain capacity. Controller804 has circuits for controlling and reading sensors S for determiningparameters related to the fluid flow, pipeline integrity, and actuator802 and valve 801 status. Controller 804 may also contain a processorhaving memory storage for storing operating instructions and storingdata from such sensors. Controller 804 may have RF telemetry capabilityfor transmitting data to, and/or receiving instructions from, remotestations. Multiple valve assemblies 815 may be disposed along pipeline800. The fuel cell 803 may also be used to power other electricaldevices commonly disposed along pipeline 800 including, but not limitedto, (i) filter dump valves, (ii) drain valves, (iii) sensor devices, and(iv) sensor telemetry stations.

The foregoing description is directed to particular embodiments of thepresent invention for the purpose of illustration and explanation. Itwill be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that manymodifications and changes to the embodiment set forth above arepossible. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted toembrace all such modifications and changes.

1. A drilling system, comprising: a. a tubular member disposed in awellbore having a downhole assembly attached at a bottom end thereof; b.an electrical device disposed in said downhole assembly; and c. a fuelcell disposed in said downhole assembly and operatively coupled to saidelectrical device for providing electrical power thereto, wherein saidfuel cell extracts at least a portion of a fuel supply from a fluidflowing in said wellbore.
 2. The drilling system of claim 1, whereinsaid fuel cell further extracts at least a portion of an oxidizer fromsaid flowing fluid.
 3. The drilling system of claim 1, wherein theelectrical device is a motor driven pump.
 4. The drilling system ofclaim 1, wherein the electrical device is a motor disposed in thedownhole assembly for driving a drill bit.
 5. The drilling system ofclaim 1, wherein the fuel cell comprises: i. a fuel source for supplyinga hydrocarbon fuel; ii. a reformer for extracting hydrogen from saidhydrocarbon fuel; iii. an oxidizer source for supplying oxygen; and iv.a reaction device for combining said hydrogen and said oxygen to producean electric current.
 6. The drilling system of claim 1, wherein the fuelcell is a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.
 7. The drilling system ofclaim 5, wherein the fuel source is a component of the fluid flowing inthe wellbore.
 8. The drilling system of claim 5, wherein the fuel sourceis injected into and flows with said fluid flowing in the wellbore. 9.The drilling system of claim 1, further comprising a controller having aprocessor and a memory, said controller acting according to programmedinstructions to control the operation of the fuel cell to power theelectrical device.
 10. The drilling system of claim 9, furthercomprising a sensor operatively coupled to said controller for providinga parameter of interest related to the operation of said fuel cell. 11.A method for powering a downhole device, comprising: a. extending atubular member into a wellbore, said tubular member having a downholeassembly attached to a bottom end thereof; b. providing an electricaldevice on said downhole assembly; c. providing a fuel cell in saiddownhole assembly, said fuel cell being operatively coupled to saidelectrical device for powering said electrical device; and d. extractingat least a portion of a fuel supply for said fuel cell from a fluidflowing in said wellbore.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprisingextracting at least a portion of an oxidizer from said flowing fluid.13. The method of claim 11, wherein the electrical device is a motordriven pump.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the electrical deviceis a motor disposed in the downhole assembly for driving the drill bit.15. The method of claim 11, wherein the fuel cell comprises: i. a fuelsource for supplying a hydrocarbon fuel; ii. a reformer for extractinghydrogen from said hydrocarbon fuel; iii. an oxidizer source forsupplying oxygen; and iv. a reaction device for combining said hydrogenand said oxygen to produce an electric current.
 16. The method of claim11, wherein the fuel cell is a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. 17.The method of claim 15, wherein the fuel source is a component of thefluid flowing in the wellbore.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein thefuel source is injected into and flows with said fluid flowing in thewellbore.
 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing acontroller having a processor and a memory, said controller actingaccording to programmed instructions to control the operation of thefuel cell to power the electrical device.
 20. The method of claim 19,further comprising providing at least one sensor operatively coupled tosaid controller for providing at least one parameter of interest relatedto the operation of said fuel cell.
 21. The method of claim 15, whereinthe fuel source is a hydrocarbon fluid produced from at least oneformation proximate the wellbore.
 22. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: i. providing a fuel source for supplying a hydrocarbon fuel;ii. providing a reformer for extracting hydrogen from said hydrocarbonfuel; iii. providing an oxidizer source for supplying oxygen; and iv.providing a reaction device for combining said hydrogen and said oxygento produce an electric current.
 23. A pipeline system, comprising: a. apipeline having a fluid flowing therein; b. an electrically powereddevice disposed in said pipeline; and c. a fuel cell operatively coupledto said electrically powered device for providing electrical powerthereto, wherein said fuel cell extracts at least a portion of a fuelsupply from a fluid flowing in said pipeline.
 24. The system of claim23, wherein said fuel cell further extracts at least a portion of anoxidizer from said flowing fluid.
 25. The system of claim 23, whereinthe electrically powered device is an electrically actuated valve. 26.The system of claim 23, further comprising: i. a fuel source forsupplying a hydrocarbon fuel; ii. a reformer for extracting hydrogenfrom said hydrocarbon fuel; iii. an oxidizer source for supplyingoxygen; and iv. a reaction device for combining said hydrogen and saidoxygen to produce an electric current.
 27. The system of claim 23,wherein the fuel cell is a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.
 28. Thesystem of claim 26, wherein the fuel source is a component of the fluidflowing in the pipeline.
 29. The system of claim 26, wherein the fuelsource is injected into and flows with said fluid flowing in thepipeline.
 30. The system of claim 23, further comprising a controllerhaving a processor and a memory, said controller acting according toprogrammed instructions to control the operation of the fuel cell topower the electrical device.
 31. The drilling system of claim 30,further comprising at least one sensor operatively coupled to saidcontroller for providing at least one parameter of interest related tothe operation of said fuel cell.
 32. A method for powering an electricaldevice in a pipeline, comprising: a. providing an electrical device insaid pipeline; b. providing a fuel cell operatively coupled to saidelectrical device for powering said electrical device; and c. extractingat least a portion of a fuel supply for said fuel cell from a fluidflowing in said pipeline.
 33. The method of claim 32, further comprisingextracting at least a portion of an oxidizer from said flowing fluid.34. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least one electrical deviceis an electrically actuated valve.
 35. The method of claim 32, furthercomprising: i. a fuel source for supplying a hydrocarbon fuel; ii. areformer for extracting hydrogen from said hydrocarbon fuel; iii. anoxidizer source for supplying oxygen; and iv. a reaction device forcombining said hydrogen and said oxygen to produce an electric current.36. The method of claim 32, wherein the fuel cell is a proton exchangemembrane fuel cell.
 37. The method of claim 35, wherein the fuel sourceis a component of the fluid flowing in the pipeline.
 38. The method ofclaim 35, wherein the fuel source is injected into and flows with saidfluid flowing in the pipeline.
 39. The method of claim 32, furthercomprising providing a controller having a processor and a memory, saidcontroller acting according to programmed instructions to control theoperation of the fuel cell to power the electrical device.
 40. Themethod of claim 39, further comprising providing a sensor operativelycoupled to said controller for providing a parameter of interest relatedto the operation of said fuel cell.